Turbine compressor



F. K. GRUSS TURBINE COMPRESSOR Jan. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.6, 1945 I VENTOR FRANCIS K'. GRUSS, INCOMPETENT, BY FRANCIS J. GRUSS,GUARDIAN BY mzzm ATTORNEYS Jan. 9, 1951 F. K. GRUSS TURBINE COMPRESSOR 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1945 W fi R m F N T E P mM 0 0 I S U R G KB. O N A R F B FRANCIS J. GRUSS GUARDIAN BY M22 UQ ATTORNEYS PatentedJan. 9, 1 951 TURBINE COMPRESSOR Francis K. Gruss, incompetent, SanFrancisco,

Calif., by Francis J. Gruss, guardian, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 6, 1945, Serial No. 609,290

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a compressor, and particularly to one of therotary or turbine type well adapted to serve as a supercharger forcompressing air for use in an internal combustion engine by means of theexhaust gases from the engine; the present invenlicn furtherparticularly representing improvements over the structure shown inPatent No. 2,361,939 to Francis K. Gruss.

The major object of the present invention is to improve the constructionso that the kinetic energy of the exhaust gases is harnessed and made todo useful work in driving the compressor, besides serving as the mediumto effect the compression of the air or other gas which it is desired tocompress.

The device may also be eificiently used as a turbine.

Other useful and advantageous results obtained by the use of theimproved compressor will be apparent from a perusal of the followingspecification.

A further object of the invention is to produce a turbine compressorwhich will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it isdesigned.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the compressor.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic sectional elevation showing amodified construction for turbine use.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, and particularly at present to Figs. 1 and 2, the compressorcomprises a hollow body l enclosing a rotor indicated generally at 2 andmounted on an axial shaft 3 journaled in the body. The circumferentialwall t of the chamber 5 in which the rotor is disposed is concentric andhas a running fit with the periphery of the rotor for substantially 180;the remainder of the chamber being of volute form, diverging from therotor to form an exhaust passage or chamber 6 terminating in an outletport I.

An intake passage 8 in the body taps wall 4 substantially tangentthereto a short distance from outlet l, while an outlet chamber 9 havingan outlet port l0, cuts through said wall for a circumferential extentof approximately substantially midway of the length of wall 4, betweenpassage 8 and the other end of said wall, or the point where divergingchamber 5 begins.

The ro'.:or includes a pair of axially spaced par allel bands or ringplates H whose outer and inner edges are concentric with shaft 3 andcarry sealing elements l2 engaging the corresponding body surfaces.Closely spaced vanes 13 of generally curved form, in a directionradially of the rotor, extend between rings H for their full radialextent, and leaving open ended passages M therebetween. The curvature ofthe vanes (and passages) which is more abrupt toward the radially inneredge thereof, is concave in facing relation toward passage 5 relative topassage 8.

One only of the rings is connected to shaft 3 by a side plate or spideri5, leaving the space radially inward of the vanes open for theprojection of a portion it of the body therein, as shown. Said portionit has a running fit with the inner periphery of the'vaned portion ofthe rotor and is formed with an enclosed Venturi-like transfer chamberll extending from a port 58 communicating with'the radially inner edgeof the rotor opposite passage 3 to a wide port lillikewise communicatingwith the rotor opposite chamber 9. A by-pass or transfer passage 2i! inthe body communicates with the radially outer edge of the rotor betweenpassage 8 and chamber 9 and with passage ll intermediate its ends bymeans of a restric.ed substantially tangential throat 2| near port 18and facing away from the same. A nozzle 22 extends from chamber 53 to acommunication With the radially outer edge of the rotor between chamber9 and the adjacent end of wall 4.

Body portion 16 is also formed With a port 23 of relatively longcircumferential extent open to atmosphere and communicating with theradially inner face or edge of the rotor opposite the initial pom-ion ofthe volute portion of chamber 5.

A small by-pass passage 24 extends between passage ll near port 18direct to atmosphere or to the radially inner face of the rotor betweenports l8 and 23, the flow through the passage being controlled by amanually controlled valve of suitable form indicated diagrammatically at25.

In operation, the gaseous driving medium'such as exhaust gases from anengine enter passage 8 and pass at A into the adjacent vane passages 14and will travel through said passages and into chamber IT at port l8. Inthis movement and expansion of the gases, the momentum thereof isimparted to the vanes in the form of kinetic energy, causing the rotorto turn or be driven in a direction away from chamber 9 relative topassage 8.

The gases discharged into chamber I! travel to the opposite end or toport [9 and due to the Venturi form of said chamber the terminalvelocity of the gases is converted into pressure. Some of the gases inthe chamber may if desired be by-passed to atmosphere through passage 24so as to reduce the back pressure on the vanes; such gases passingdirect to atmosphere or through the adjacent vane passages I4 at B intothe exhaust chamber 6 and thence out through port I to atmosphere. Inthe latter case, the energy of such gases being by-passed is stillharnessed, however, since the gases act on the vanes against which theyimpinge while passing to atmosphere, to rotate the rotor.

The gases from port t9 pass into the adjacent vane or rotor passages i6along area C, any such gases as remain trapped therein (for the reasonlater pointed out) finally discharging into bypass 20 and reentering thelow pressure area of Venturi chamber ll through throat 2!. In so doing,the back pressure on the entering gases in passage 8 (which is justbeyond by-pass 2i!) is not only reduced, by reason of the loweredpressure in the adjacent vane passages, but any.

'8, expand and discharge into chamber 6 and thence to atmosphere, alsoimparting their mo-.

mentum to the vanes in the form of kinetic energy. At the same time,this displacement of the gases from the vane passages alined withchamher 6 along its full length, causes air'from at- 'mosphere to bedrawn into said vane passages along areal) from intake 23 and compressedas the vanes pass the converging restricted end 26 of chamber 6. Suchinrushing air also clears "the vane passages of all exhaust gases. Thisair becomes further compressed in the passages, as the latter move intocommunication with chamber 9, by reason of the high pressure gasesentering such passages from port it as previously explained.

The compressed air discharging into chamber 9 expands, some of itpassing into nozzle 22, being then directed against and into the vanepassages passing across the nozzle at E, and thus compressing the air insuch passage to the pressure or the air in chamber 9. In so doing, partof the momentum of the expanded air from nozzle 22 is imparted directlyto the adjacent vanes as kinetic energy, while part reacts upon saidvanes as pressure, due to the arresting of the velocity by the opposingcentriiugai force of the rotor and by the abutment 2'! formed by thewall of the inner portion of body i opposite nozzle 22. The compressedair is drawn off through port It! for use as may be desired.

It will be noted that passage 26 is provided with a port 28 toatmosphere and with a suitable valve 29 (shown diagrammatically in Fig.2) arranged to either close this port and allow the the passage tochamber 11. In the latter instance, the gas pressure in the adjacentvane passages 14, which remains the same as that of the compressed airin chamber 9, is relieved and reduced to atmospheric pressure beforesaid vane passages move to position A at intake 8. The back pressure onthe incoming gases (and on the engine supplying the same) is thusmaterially reduced.

Also, if desired, air under an initial pressure may be fed into the vanepassages just after they pass beyond air intake 23 by means of a port 30in wall 21 connected to an auxiliary blower or compressor. In thismanner, a higher compression pressure is attainable. It will be notedthat the expanding gases discharging from the vane passages into chamber5 creates a Venturi effect which aids in clearing the spent gases fromsaid passages and from the chamber.

It will also be noted that if the device is used as a supercharger for aconventional gas engine, the speed of rotation, the compression pressureand the back pressure on the engine, may be con-' trolled by theregulation of by-pass valve 25.

Further, the centrifugal force of the rotor is utilized by causing thesupercharging of the vane passages at F; by augment-mg the pressure ofthe compressing gas in the vane passages along area C; by augmenting thepressure of the exhaust gases in the vane passages at G, and by causingthe clearing of the vane passages along chamber 6.

It will also be noted that port i9 is circumferentially offset ordisplaced relative to chamher 8. By reason of this feature, the vanepassages ifi when rotating communicate with the air in chamber 9 beforecommunicating with the exhaust gases in port l9. This assures that thepressure in the vane passages will be the same as that in-chamber 9.Likewise the vane passages are out off from chamber 9 before being cutoif from port 19. This assures that any leakage from the rotor intopassage 20 will be exhaust gases and not air. 4

In the form of structure shown in Figure 3, which is particularlydesigned for a turbine, the air chamber 5a is provided at the outletwith a cross wall 31 dividing said outlet into two circumferentiallyseparated outlets 32 and 33. the latter being nearest intake 8a andconnected to the same by a conduit 34. An injector type conduit 35 leadsinto conduit 34 from outlet 32 and has a fuel jet 36 projecting into thesame; a fuel igniting plug 37' projcctinginto conduit 3-5.

With this arrangement, exhaust gases in the pane passages Ma after theypass chamber 9a discharge through outlet 33 and conduit 34 and returnedto intake fie. At the same time, the compressed air from chamber 8a isalso fed into conduit 34 as an expanding ignited fuel mixture. Theoriginal exhaust-gas is thus used to dilute and heat a fresh gas whichincludes compressed air and an ignited fuel to provide 'a fresh pressurecharge of rotor-turning or tur- 5 bine driving gases.

It will thus be seen that the device may be *used as a superchange for agas engine, as a selfcontained gas turbine, or in conjunction with andas a compressor for another gas turbine, the exhaust gases from whichrun the device.

Attention should be called to the fact that the various ports can bereversed, all or in part, in relationship to the inner and outer wallsof the annular chamber and rotor, as long as their 76 order and relativepositions are maintained.

It will further be noted that the device will function if the vanecurvature is lessened or eliminated. In this case, less momentum isimparted to the rotor, but the terminal velocity of the gas is greaterafter passing through the" vanes. This is converted into pressure forthe compressing medium (exhaust gas) in the cham-' her. Thisconstruction may be desirable where an abundance of such compressingmedium is available, as when used as a supercharger for a gas engine.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A turbine compressor comprising a body formed with an annularchamber, a rotor mounted on the body and turnable in such annularchamber with a running fit therein, the rotor including substantiallyradially disposed spaced apart vanes forming passages, a pressure gasintake opening at one point in the outer circumferential wall of thechamber, the body being provided with a gas transfer passage, one end ofsaid transfer passage opening through the inner circumferential Wall ofthe annular chamber at a point opposite the pressure gas intake opening,the other end of such transfer passage opening through the innercircumferential wall of the annular chamber at a point ahead of the gasintake opening with respect to the direction of rotation of the rotorwhereby gases from the intake opening will pass through the vanes andinto the first named end of the transfer passage and then pass throughsaid latter passage and discharge out of the other end thereof andagainst the vanes of the rotor whereby to drive the rotor, the bodybeing provided with an arcuate port opening between atmosphere and theinner circumferential wall of the annular chamber ahead of the dischargeend of the transfer passage with respect to the direction of rotation ofthe rotor whereby with the rotation of the rotor atmospheric air will bedrawn into said vane passages adjacent said port and be compressed.

2. A structure as in claim 1 including a compressed air chamber to whichsuch compressed air is delivered from the vane passages.

3. A structure as in claim 1 in which the body is provided with anarcuate gas exhaust passageway opening through the outer circumferentialwall of the body opposite the air intake port.

4. A structure as in claim 1 in which the body is provided with anarcuate gas exhaust passageway'opening through the outer circumferentialwall of the body opposite the air intake port, such exhaust passagebeing restricted in cross sectional area in the direction of rotation ofthe rotor.

5. A structure as in claim 1 in which the transfer passage is in theform of a venturi with its wide end constituting the discharge endthereof.

6. A structure as in claim 1, including passage means formed in the bodyand opening through the outer circumferential wall of the annularchamber at a point between the discharge end of the transfer passage andthe pressure gas intake and leading hence to communication with thetransfer passage.

7. A structure as in claim 1, including a valve controlled passage inthe body leading from the transfer passage at a point near its firstnamed end to an opening through the inner circumferential wall of theannular chamber at a point beyond the pressure gas intake, and anexhaust means in communication with said valve controlled passage.

8. A structure as in claim 1 including a compressed air chamber to whichsuch compressed air is delivered from the vane passages, said chamberopening through the outer circumferential wall of the annular chamber ata point opposite the discharge end of the transfer passage.

9. A structure as in claim 1 including a compressed air chamber to whichsuch compressed air is delivered from the vane passages, said chamberopening through the outer circumferential wall of the annular chamber ata point opposite the discharge end of the transfer passage, there beinga nozzle formed in the body leading from the compressed air chamber anddischarging through the outer circumferential Wall of the annularchamber at a point ahead of the discharge end of the transfer passagewith respect to the direction of rotation of the rotor.

10. A structure as in claim 1 including a passage provided in the bodyand communicating from a point outside the body to and through the innercircumferential wall of the annular chamber at a point just beyond thearcuate port with respect to the direction of rotation of the rotor.

FRANCIS J. GRUSS, Guardian of the Estate of Francis K. Gruss,

Incompetent.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the

